Bomb squad clears package in Walmart parking lot

TUPELO – Tupelo Police Department’s bomb squad investigated a suspicious package in the parking lot of the Walmart on West Main Street on Saturday evening.

Between 5:30 and 6 p.m., Tupelo Police received a call about a suspicious package in the parking lot. Officers set up a perimeter and the explosive ordnance team investigated the package, said Capt. Chuck McDougald.

An officer in protective gear could be seen approaching wooden-looking, pyramid-shaped package, roughly the size of a large tool box in the middle of the east side of the parking lot.

The team gave the all-clear at 6:29 p.m. when it was discovered the package was rolled-up newspapers.

While the team evaluated the package, shoppers were rerouted away from the east side of the parking lot and police directed traffic away from the store. Customers who parked in the east third of the parking lot had to wait to leave.